Families affected by the tragic plane crash at Milestone School and College have put forward eight key demands, including a thorough investigation, compensation, rehabilitation, and official state recognition for the victims.
At a press conference held on Tuesday at the National Press Club, the families called for justice and support for those impacted by the disaster.
Ashraful Islam, who lost his two children, Nazia and Nafi, in the accident, said, “One pilot has been given martyr’s status. We want all those killed in this accident to be officially recognised as martyrs by the government.”
He added, “This accident is not just a personal loss for us, it is a national tragedy. We want to ensure that such incidents never happen again.”
The families demanded a detailed investigation into the crash, fair compensation for the victims’ families, medical treatment and rehabilitation for the injured, and official martyr status for the deceased.
The eight demands raised are: Conduct a detailed investigation of the accident, identify those responsible, and take appropriate legal action, financial compensation of Tk5 crore to each family of the decease and Tk2 crore to each family of the injured, issue health cards for the injured to receive free treatment and medicines for life at government hospitals, ensure complete rehabilitation including government jobs and training for the disabled and those who lost working capacity, declare July 21 a national day for mourning and for conducting safety awareness programmes annually at educational institutions, arrange for the permanent maintenance of the graves of the deceased under the city corporation, officially recognise the deceased as martyrs through government gazette publication and provide all related benefits, and build a modern and permanent mosque in Uttara, Dhaka, in memory of those killed in the accident.
At the press conference, speakers complained, “Only a few families have been contacted by the chief adviser’s office, while most affected families have not been contacted yet. Many have been physically and mentally devastated for life.”
According to the affected families, without proper investigation, fair compensation, and state recognition, preventing the recurrence of such accidents will be difficult. They strongly urged the government to implement their demands immediately.
On 21 July, an aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into Milestone School and College in situated in Diabari, Uttara in the capital. 37 people were killed, including 28 students, 3 guardians, 3 teachers, and 1 cleaner. Nine others are still undergoing treatment at various hospitals.
